Welcome to Winter
by Icepaw99
Summary: An ordinary girl Sophie meets the Spirit of Winter, and it changes her life. But when faced with a dangerous enemy, Sophie has to risk her life to help the Guardians. Rated K .
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The girl strolled beneath the trees, the snow crunching softly beneath her feet. Her fabric designer shoes weren't really made for weather like this, and soon the snow had soaked into the girl's socks and chilled her toes. She didn't mind. She liked the cold.

The girl's name was Sophie. She had just left college for the day, and her mind was spinning with worried thoughts. Ever since leaving school, Sophie had felt like she had been shoved out of the warm comfort of childhood and into real life. While everyone else grew up around her, she stayed still, left behind. All her friends had adapted easily to the change. Their talk now was about their girlfriends or boyfriends, or the tattoos and piercings they wanted, or getting a job, whereas Sophie just wanted to watch childish movies and have snowball fights and read books. And as time went on, she was getting more and more drawn into herself, fitting in less and less with other people.

She sighed, and smiled as her breath misted in front of her face. _It's nearly Christmas,_ she told herself. _Just forget about everything for a while and enjoy yourself._

At last, Sophie emerged from the woodland trail she'd been following, coming out alongside the main road. She stopped and waited to cross, not really concentrating. Her head was full of Christmas lights and childish fantasies. She walked forward.

Sophie's heart jumped in her throat when she realised her mistake. The screech of tyres shattered her daydream. She squealed as the car's headlights bore down on her, blindingly bright, and shut her eyes. She hadn't looked where she was going.

Sophie braced herself for an impact which never came. Suddenly she felt arms wrap round her waist, hurling her to safety, and she collided painfully with the fence of someone's back garden. Her eyes still tightly shut, she heard the car's driver yell something before the engine roared away.

Slowly, Sophie opened her eyes. She was lying on the roadside, against the fence. Trembling violently with shock, she sat up. Her head spun and she felt weak from the fading adrenaline rush.

"Are you alright?" came a voice from behind her. Whirling around, her brown hair swinging, Sophie was faced with a very unusual boy. He looked about her age, but his hair was white. His eyes were an incredible blue. He wore a blue hoodie, decorated with an intricate silver pattern that shimmered like frost. In fact, it looked like real frost... Could it be? No, that was stupid. Of course it couldn't.

"I think so..." Sophie let out a shaky breath. "Did you... Were you the one that saved me?"

The boy nodded. "What were you thinking?" he asked, blue eyes wide with concern. "You just walked straight out!"

"I wasn't thinking." Sophie reached up to brush her hair out of her face, and gasped with pain. Burning agony clenched her shoulder. "Ow."

"Sorry," the boy apologised. "I threw you pretty hard. What's your name?"

"Sophie," she told him. "And, it's fine. You saved me. That's the main thing." She smiled, and the boy grinned back.

"I'm Jack. Jack Frost," he told her, raising his eyebrows as he awaited her reaction.

Sophie's eyes widened. "Jack Frost," she breathed. She'd always believed in Jack Frost, long after her friends had given up on the childhood myths. But she'd never actually expected to see him. She laughed suddenly. "Seriously? Jack Frost?"

"The one and only," he replied cheerfully, but then his expression turned to concern once more. "We should get you home. You'd better make sure your shoulder's ok."

"I think it's fine," Sophie insisted, but before she could say anything else, Jack gathered her into his arms.

"How do you like flying?" he asked. With that, he lifted into the air with all the ease of a bird. Sophie gave a small squeal of delight as she felt the cold air rush around her, tugging at her hair and stinging her eyes. Was she dreaming? Surely she couldn't have a dream this vivid, or this... wonderful.

It wasn't long before they caught sight of Sophie's house, and her heart dropped sadly. She didn't want it to end. But all things had to end, and eventually Jack landed softly in her front garden, setting Sophie on the ground.

"There you go," he said with a grin. "How was that?" At that moment something seemed to catch his eye, and he looked up. Sophie followed his gaze, and gasped. The evening was turning the sky inky, and against the backdrop of stars, colourful light flickered and danced like ribbons. The Northern Lights.

"I've gotta go," Jack announced suddenly. "I hope I'll see you again soon, Sophie." And with that he leapt into the air, silvery hair flying, gone as suddenly as he had arrived, leaving Sophie watching him with her gaze full of confusion and longing.


	2. Chapter 2

Sophie tossed and turned, trying to sleep. Everything was irritating her, keeping her awake- the glow of the streetlights outlining the blinds over her window, the constant dull ache in her shoulder, the cold making her shiver and the music floating around in her head. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, even though it had been two days ago now. She could see Jack's face behind her eyelids every time she closed them. Why had he had to fly away so quickly? She felt as though she's been given a glimpse of his world, been shown magic and fantasy, and then told that she couldn't have it.

With a sigh, Sophie flung the covers off her and lifted the blinds, gasping at the sight before her. It was snowing. Fluffy white flakes danced in the light of the moon, floating like feathers to the ground, where they rested on the grass, each individual snowflake building up the winter scene. Laughing faintly to herself, Sophie opened the window, feeling the chilly night press against her face. She stuck her arm out of the window, and the snow tickled her hand, cold as ice. Hope jumped in Sophie's heart. Was Jack out there? Had he come back?

As if in answer, a mischievous laugh pealed out in the winter air. Jack hovered in front of the window, a joyful glint in his eyes, his hair rippling in the wind.

"Jack!" Sophie could barely keep her voice down to a whisper in her excitement. "Where did you go? I was beginning to think I dreamed the whole thing!"

Jack flew closer and sat down on the windowsill, his bare feet dangling over empty space. "Sorry about that. I had something to sort out." He looked tired, but perhaps Sophie was imagining it. After all, she'd only seen him for a few minutes before. Suddenly, Sophie was jerked out of her thoughts by cold, wet snow hitting her in the face, knocking her backwards.

"Hey!" she spluttered, wiping away the snow with her hand. Jack laughed, and Sophie glared, but she was unable to control her smile. "Not fair! There's no snow here for me to get you back."

Before she could react, Jack grabbed Sophie in his arms and floated out through the window, landing in the snow-covered back garden. Sophie squealed as her bare feet touched the icy ground.

"There. Go on, then. Get me back." Jack stood and spread his arms, grinning.

Sophie scooped up a handful of snow, flinging it at Jack, but he dodged with ease. As he leapt away, his staff scraped the snow, creating instant, perfectly round snowballs. He grabbed them and hurled them one at a time, scoring a direct hit with each one.

For the next several minutes, the two leapt around in the snow, throwing snowballs and laughing with sheer joy, all troubles forgotten. Occasionally Jack would let Sophie's snowballs hit their target, but by the end of the war, he was the clear winner. Laughing and panting with exhaustion, Sophie collapsed in the snow.  
"I give up," she giggled. "You're the Snowball King."

Jack sat down nearby. "That's right. And don't ever forget it."

After a moment of silence, you spoke again. "Jack, why _did_ you have to fly off so quickly the other day? When you saw the Northern Lights… You flew towards them. Why?"

Jack sighed, running his hand through the snow, letting it fall through his fingers like sand. "North wanted all the Guardians to meet together."

"North?"

"Better known as Santa."

Sophie blinked. She believed in Jack Frost, but Santa? Surely even she, as childish as she was, was too old to believe in Santa. 'Are you serious?"

He nodded. And for once, he didn't seem to be joking. "It was so great, seeing them all again. Even Bunny, though he's a pain at times."

"Wait… Bunny? And, seeing who?" Sophie gave him a confused look.

"You know, the Easter Bunny. And the Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy."

Sophie shook her head. "No way. They don't exist. You're messing with me, right?"

"Nope. It's true." Jack glanced over at her. "I can show you, if you want. But you have to believe in them. Trust me."


	3. Chapter 3

"Where are we going?" Sophie shouted over the roar of the wind. She clung to Jack as they flew above the clouds, cold turning her fingers numb.

"The North Pole," Jack announced. "That's where we can see North, Bunny, Sandy and Tooth. They should all be there."

Sophie's mind was still reeling from the shock of being told that all the stories she'd known as a child were true. She'd stopped believing in all the tales except Jack Frost a long time ago, despite her still acting like a child in many ways. A shiver of excitement crept down her spine. She no longer felt as though she didn't belong- she felt like she'd returned to her childhood again.

Suddenly, Jack dropped through the clouds, and they quickly found themselves surrounded by snow, whirling around them in a thick blizzard. Jack laughed, and the snow seemed to be drawn towards him. Sophie buried her head in his hoodie to escape the cold, but Jack was just as freezing as the snow, so she looked up again, snowflakes stuck to her eyelashes.

Eventually they landed on solid ground. Through the snow storm it was impossible to see very far, but after taking a few steps forward, a sight greeted them that took Sophie's breath away.

A beautiful palace reared up in front of them, the tops of the buildings spearing the clouds. Standing in the doorway of the palace was a rather large man with a long white beard, wearing a red jacket. There were tattoos on his arms, and as the man approached them, Sophie could make out what they said- 'naughty' and 'nice'.

"Jack!" the man cried, with a strong Russian accent. "I haven't seen you here in a while. Who's this?" he smiled warmly.

"Sophie, this is North," Jack introduced her. "You probably know him as Santa. North, this is Sophie, a friend of mine."

"Welcome!" North seemed friendly and cheerful, but Sophie couldn't help feeling a little shy as she followed him into the palace.

As they walked through the doorway, Jack spoke. "Is everything ok, North? You look a little tired."

North sighed, his smile fading. "No, Jack... Things are not ok. I don't know how this could have happened, but... the Boogeyman is back. I saw Pitch."


	4. Chapter 4

"The Boogeyman?" Sophie repeated in astonishment. "You're telling me that he's real too?"

Jack sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. We defeated him a while ago. You remember the other day, when I had to leave you to meet with the Guardians?" Sophie nodded, and Jack continued, "the reason for that was because Bunny told us that he'd seen Pitch. We weren't sure whether to believe him."

"Ha!" came a voice. "I told you I saw him! Believe me now, Frosty?" The newcomer had an Australian accent. As he hopped into the room, Sophie saw that this person wasn't really a person at all. It was a rabbit, but no ordinary rabbit. He was about 6ft tall, and held a boomerang in one paw, which he flipped into the air and caught again as he spoke.

"Are you the Easter bunny?" Sophie exclaimed. "I can't believe this is happening!" She turned to Jack, a huge grin on her face, and he laughed.

"You'd better believe it," he said. "Oh, uh, Bunny, this is Sophie. I was just bringing her to meet you all. Sophie, this is Bunny, of course."

"Nice to meet ya, mate," Bunny said, but he didn't smile. "But, Jack, you shouldn't have brought her here. It's dangerous, what with Pitch about."

Jack glared at him. "I didn't know he was here!"

"I told ya yesterday. You shoulda believed me!" Bunny retorted.

"Enough," North spoke. "There's nothing we can do now. But Bunny is right, Jack. You should take her home." He smiled apologetically.

"But I want to stay!" Sophie protested. "If you're in trouble, I can help. I don't want to go home."

Jack shook his head. "Sorry, Sophie. You'd be no help to us. We have powers, and you don't. We'd just be spending more of our time protecting you than actually fighting Pitch."

Sophie sighed, gritting her teeth. She was no use at home. She didn't fit in with her classmates, or even her own family. The only people she fit in with were her old school friends, and she hardly ever saw them. But she'd always dreamed of an adventure like this. She didn't care about the danger. She'd rather die knowing she'd really made a difference to something and helped someone, than stay at home miserable for the rest of her life.

Jack saw her expression, and relented slightly. "You can stay for a while, I'm sure. An hour or so, I suppose. Just to look round." He glanced pointedly at North, who sighed.

"Fine," he said. "But if we hear anything of Pitch, Sophie, you have to hide until we tell you it's safe."

"He wouldn't dare enter the palace," Jack said confidently. "Come on, follow me. We can find Tooth and Sandy." He raced away towards a huge wooden door at the end of the room, and you followed with a grin.

The next hour was one Sophie would always remember, the journey through North's palace that made her life complete. Jack looked just as excited as he showed her through the rooms, particularly when he showed her the enormous room where the yetis were making the toys. Elves scuttled about, getting in the way and occasionally being trodden on. Sophie winced every time she saw another elf get crushed by a yeti's foot or electrocuted by Christmas lights, but no one else seemed to notice, and the elves still seemed pretty cheerful.

"This is incredible," she gasped, looking round at the beautiful chaos surrounding her. "Thank you so much, Jack, for showing me all this. It's..." she shook her head, lost for words. "It's made my life worth living." Suddenly her excitement burst out and overflowed, and she threw her arms round Jack, laughing. "It's amazing!"

Jack laughed. "I thought you'd like it," he said.

The doors opened suddenly, and North rushed in. "Jack!" he cried, his expression almost panicked. "Jack, Pitch is here!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Sophie, stay in here," Jack ordered, as he hurried over to North. "Don't try to help. You'll get yourself killed." Giving her a stern look, he left the room with North.

Sophie sighed, the sound loud and audible in the quiet room as the door closed. The yetis had frozen, looking around at each other with worried expressions. The only sound was the occasional jingle of the bells on the elves heads.

Slowly, quietly, the yetis returned to work. Nervously, Sophie crept towards the door, and could hear the faint sound of voices. She peered through the crack in the door.

The guardians stood together at one end of the room. Tooth and Sandy were there now, too. Tooth bore a resemblance to a hummingbird- she was covered in feathers everywhere except her face and hands, and small wings on her back beat so fast they were almost invisible. The sandman was small, with tufty hair, and seemed to be completely made of glittering gold sand.

Across the room stood a man. He was quite tall, with spiky, jet black hair and terrifying yellow eyes, like a cat's eyes. He wore a long black cloak, reaching down to the ground, and his skin was grey. By his side, a black horse pranced around. Like the sandman, it too seemed to be made of sand- jet black sand.

"Get outta here, Pitch," Bunny was saying, his eyes narrowed. "We defeated you once. We can do it again."

Pitch smiled. "All I'm asking is for a little respect. Fear has to exist. You can't fight it."

"As if," Jack spoke up. "The only reason you've come back is to try and take over the world with your fear and darkness again."

Pitch shook his head. "No. I've learned from my mistakes. I can't destroy the whole world. But what I'm looking for is a chance to take my revenge. Because I will have it. Whatever it takes."

Sophie itched to rush out there and stand alongside the guardians. She wanted to help, to be seen. Here, hiding in a different room and peeking through a crack in the door, she felt like a coward, completely insignificant. She shifted from foot to foot anxiously.

"Leave now, Pitch," North ordered. "Or my yetis will make you." He pulled two swords from his belt, raising them in the air, but as he did so, Pitch's horse leapt forward with a whinny, charging at North.

On instinct, Sophie flung open the doors, racing to the guardian's side. "Leave them alone!" she yelled, standing in front of them. The horse skidded to a halt, snorting in fury, its yellow eyes smouldering.

"Sophie, what are you doing?" cried Jack. He grabbed Sophie's arm, hauling her back. "I told you to stay hidden!"

Pitch had been watching with interest, but now he laughed quietly. "Who's this? A human? Has Jack made a human friend?" His eyes narrowed. "I love humans. So weak, unable to defend themselves." At this, Jack stood in front of Sophie protectively.

"I'm leaving now," Pitch announced, satisfied. "But watch out for me." With that, he turned and strode out of the doors, his horse following.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack sighed with frustration. "I can't risk taking you home, Sophie. Pitch knows who you are now. You wouldn't be safe."

Sophie was leaning against the wall. She felt sick. What had she been thinking? Like Jack had said, it was too dangerous for her to go home. What would her parents think? They would wake up, find her missing... They'd be panicking...

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice quiet. "I just wanted to help. I wasn't thinking..." Despite everything, Sophie couldn't help but feel slightly pleased. She wouldn't have to go home, or go to college. She had no choice but to stay here. It was strangely relieving. A fantasy like this was all she'd ever dreamed of, all she'd ever wanted, and she felt her heart thud against her chest in excitement.

"We'll have to find you somewhere to stay," North announced, after an awkward silence. "Don't worry. We'll sort this out, and you'll be safe here." He hurried away, a couple of yetis following him.

Sophie looked over at Jack. He was twirling his staff in his hand, a worried look on his face, and Sophie could guess what he was thinking. He'd brought her here, and now she was trapped here, her life in danger. He would probably be blaming herself.

"I don't mind so much," she spoke up nervously. "I don't think there's any place better to be stuck. Thank you for taking me here, Jack. I mean it." She smiled, and he smiled back, but it looked forced.

North burst back into the room a few minutes later. "There's a room you can stay in, Sophie. The yetis are preparing it for you. Meanwhile, we will have to think about how to deal with Pitch. Jack, you know which room it is- the one you slept in when you first became a guardian. You can show her." He walked over to the other guardians.

"Why do I have to show her?" Jack asked rudely. Sophie's eyes widened in surprise. North looked shocked, too. "What's wrong, Jack?" he asked. He didn't seem annoyed, just concerned.

Jack shook his head with a sigh. "Nothing's wrong. Come on, Sophie, I'll show you." He strode out of the room, frowning. Confused, Sophie hurried after him.

She desperately wanted to talk to Jack, to ask him what was wrong, but he hurried through the palace so fast that she was almost jogging to keep up. He led her up an enormous staircase, beautifully decorated with fancy stair rails, covered in a thick, velvety red carpet. Jack led her through intricately decorated corridors, tiny elves scurrying all over the place, the bells on their heads jingling gently.

Eventually, Jack stopped in front of a polished mahogany door. He turned the gold handle and held it open. Sophie stepped into the room.

It was beautiful. An enormous, old-fashioned four-post bed stood in the centre of the room. The blankets were red, the pillows fluffy white. On the small table beside it stood a small lamp, giving the room a soft glow. An enormous window took up most of the space along the far wall. Sophie hurried over to it excitedly, resting her hands on the windowsill to look out at the view. All she could see was endless snow, sparkling, and mountains towering over the palace, jagged against the darkening sky. The Northern Lights were just visible, shimmering faintly like ribbons in the evening.

"This is amazing!" she breathed, shivering with excitement. She turned to Jack. He smiled faintly, but didn't meet her gaze.

"I can fly back to yours and help you get your things, if you want," he offered.

"I'll come with you," she said, jumping at the chance to go home even for a few minutes. North's palace was the most amazing place she'd ever been to, but she wanted to see her home again for the last time. She didn't know when she'd be going back.

Jack shrugged. "Sure. Come on, let's get going," he said, leaving the room. She stared after him for a moment before following, wondering if she'd done something wrong.


End file.
